Spectrobes

Role-playing games come in all shapes in sizes. The tall (Final Fantasy). The small (Pokemon). The large (EverQuest). The aspiring (FFXI). They range from turn-based to real-time to MMO. They may involve strategic planning, on-the-fly thinking, or off-the-wall antics. Role-playing games can differ so greatly that it has begun to change the way players view the genre.

Spectrobes, a new RPG for the Nintendo DS, dares to crash the genre once more by introducing a new way to play. It is unique for a couple of reasons, the first being that the game is played in real-time and it's turn-based. Party movement is unrestricted within the realm of the battlefield. The game controls like any 3D game that uses a D-pad – stiff but usable. The turn-based element comes from the attacks, which work on a timed system. This should remind you of the classic Tales series, but don't confuse the game for a knock-off. Spectrobes is a DS title, and good DS developers never copy another franchise.

Gotta Dig 'Em All

In Pokemon you explored every corner of the world to find new monsters. Before a particular monster could be captured, it must be found and fought – but not defeated – in the wild. There were several techniques needed to obtain the monster: weaken its health, put it to sleep, inflict a status ailment (such as burn), etc. Lastly, a Pokeball must be thrown to complete the process.

This style (or some variation of it) has become the norm since Pokemon's release. But not for Spectrobes. In this game you capture monsters – called Spectrobes, of course – by digging up rare fossils. You locate the fossils using a child Spectrobe. Spectrobes are not able to fight until they reach adulthood. Before they've matured, select one as your out-of-combat partner. While exploring, touch the monster on screen. A small circle will appear, scanning the area for fossils, minerals, and cubes. Cubes aren't overly common, but minerals can be found everywhere. They're used to increase the stats of each monster: attack, defense, etc.

Though it might be tempting to tap the monster after every step, it is not necessary. Items are typically found in corners and dead ends – areas that you may pass by default or avoid because they don't appear to have anything of value. That's far from the truth. There could be as many as five items hidden in any of those dead ends.

Once an item's location has been discovered, touch that part of the screen to activate the drilling process. Several layers of dirt and stone must be penetrated before the item can be obtained. Tap the screen quickly to cut through the bulk of the barrier. There are two kinds of drills and an air gun to blow off excess dirt. After that, scratch the screen as fast as possible to clean the item. When you reach 95% or higher, tap the "pick up" icon to finish.

Digging sessions are timed. If you take more than a few seconds to clean a cube, it could become damaged and lose all value. Items are random, but they reappear every time you exit and re-enter a world. This gives you room to screw up, but there is no guarantee that a specific fossil will resurface every time.

With fossils, minerals, and cubes in your possession, it’s time to access the lab system. That's where the magic happens. From there you may turn fossils into living, breathing Spectrobes, and drop minerals and cubes into a monster incubator.

Awaken, the feature used to bring monsters to life, involves two simple functions: throw the fossil like a bowling ball, then talk into the DS's microphone. The first is done by sliding the stylus across the screen. A voice recognition meter will be displayed next with the unusual goal of talking for three seconds at a specific level. For example, if the talking limitations are given two brackets, that means you must talk no louder or quieter than what's indicated. If there is only one bracket, you may talk as loud as you want but no quieter. It doesn't matter what you say as long as it falls within the shown limitations. The game only recognizes that someone is talking, but not the specific words that come out of your mouth. (That's good news for the stars of Rush Hour, Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker.)

Battle-ography

Spectrobes's most unique feature is by far its combat. Battles are conducted on a 3D playing field that's separate from the rest of the game. Random encounters are not a part of the experience. Combat is engaged when you come in contact with an enemy in the main world. When that happens, Rallen (the main character) is joined by two of his monsters.

With one monster on each side, the player controls Rallen. His monsters follow, but may be halted if an enemy gets in their way. Each of the three party members has the ability to attack, but you're better off letting Rallen's bodyguards do the dirty work. Monster attacks are activated with the shoulder buttons; press B to perform a weak Rallen strike.

Party movement is in real-time, but only one of the party members may attack at one time. This is where the game stops itself from becoming an action/RPG. Since there is a refractory period after every attack, quick maneuvers are needed to avoid enemies while you are vulnerable.

Gameplay: 6.9
Spectrobes is a 3D RPG that attempts to walk in several directions. It looks like Pokemon, sounds like Tales of Phantasia, and has components of both. The unique battles and excavation elements are different and should appeal to gamers who don’t mind repeating the same few actions.

Graphics: 7.5
Three-dimensional characters and game worlds stretched across both touch screens.

Sound: 8.0
Excellent lighthearted music that'll remind you of Ash Ketchum's many adventures. Catchy, immersive, and very well composed.

Difficulty: Easy/Medium
Not all battles are won with ease. But as a game that's targeted toward the Pokemon market (which includes gamers as young as six and as old as 100), you have to expect a bit of simplicity.

Concept: 8.0
The battle and excavation concepts are very original. It's the execution of those concepts that could use some work.

Multiplayer: 5
Spectrobes has a decent single-player campaign, but this is not a game that caters to multiplayer competitions. It's too slow and repetitive to make its wireless options worth using.

Overall: 6.9
Turn-based meets real-time. Spectrobes is a new kind of RPG, stressing the importance of frequent battles and item discovery but neglects the open-ended content the genre is known for delivering. Battles are clever and fun, but also a little on the sluggish side. The excavation element is cool but, like all other elements, has a downside. It's a highly repetitive process that gets old within the first hour. Fans of Lost in Blue and other touch screen-heavy games may enjoy excavating items throughout the game. But it's not a task that most gamers will look forward to completing.